


Lay Your Weary Head To Rest

by Imogen_LeFay



Category: Glee
Genre: Future Fic, Halloween, Haunting, M/M, Regret, Supernatural - Freeform, kind of, vengeance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:08:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27079366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imogen_LeFay/pseuds/Imogen_LeFay
Summary: There are few things in his life Sebastian truly regrets. That slushie, hurting Blaine, would probably always be at the top of the list.But now, years later, the past has come back to haunt him - a ghostly spectre lurking, thirsting for vengeance. With his life on the line, there's only one person who might be able to save him.
Relationships: Blaine Anderson/Sebastian Smythe
Comments: 30
Kudos: 59





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Oh, look, it's the Halloween oneshot I totally planned on posting Halloween 2019!  
> Except it didn't get done. And it was too long. And I forgot about it for months. And now it's not even Halloween, but we're in the lead up to Halloween, so I'm posting it anyway. Enjoy!  
> (also, completely ignoring anything happening in season 6 cause I say so)
> 
> Contains talk about suicide, canonical and non-canonical; discussion of health issues, including mental health; graphic/possibly gross images. Also appearances by Sebastian's family.

* * *

Looking back, Sebastian had to admit that it had started almost harmless. There was a joke in all this about hindsight, but considering… maybe not. The first sign had been mid-October. It had been past nine and he was just leaving the office, once more wondering if he even liked a single thing about his job. Fresh out of university, he hadn’t been sure what to do with his psychology degree, not having the temperament a therapist probably should have. His sister had pulled some strings and gotten him into an advertising firm, and while he was grateful, he was still trying to find his footing months after he started.

He was almost out of the door, when it caught his eye. Red ice staining the bright carpet, slowly melting into it. It was strange, he wasn’t aware that there were others still here, and he couldn’t imagine any of his coworkers drinking, let alone spilling slushies. But here it was, clear as day.

The sight made him stop in his tracks. Suddenly, he didn’t see the carpet. Suddenly, it was the concrete of a parking lot, and his ears rang with screams.

He closed his eyes, his breathing speeding up. It had been a while since he had thought of this particular incident. Guilt closed up his throat. There were few things in his life he truly regretted. This would probably always be at the top of the list.

“You okay?” a voice interrupted his thoughts.

He looked up to see one of the cleaning ladies frowning at him. He wasn’t quite sure how many seconds he’d stood there, looking like an insane person. But he nodded, pretending nothing was wrong.

“There’s a spill here,” he said pointing at the spot. As he turned and left, he could hear her voice behind him, muttering something in Spanish he didn’t understand. In front of the elevator, he turned around. She was staring at where he had pointed, as if there was nothing. When he looked back on the floor, there was no red to be seen. He stared, the hair at the back of his neck standing up. But it was nothing, really, and then the elevator was there, and the idea of getting out of here for at least a few hours was more tempting than some weird slushie stains.

That night, he dreamed of Blaine Anderson.

They were back at Dalton, Blaine’s big proposal, and he was standing on that damn staircase, giving his speech. Suddenly, Sebastian knew he had to stop it. He tried to speak up, but his voice was gone. He tried to run up the stairs, but it felt like his feet were stuck in mud, and the more he tried to move, the further he sank. As he looked up, Blaine turned around. The moment their eyes met, a dark fluid started to drip down Blaine’s cheek, maybe blood, or maybe colored ice sludge, and Sebastian woke with a start. Moonlight filtered through his curtains, casting his room in just enough hints of light to make everything seem different, eerie. And somewhere, in the darkness of the room, he could feel a pair of eyes firmly set on him.

He switched on the bedside lamp, but he couldn’t see anyone. It took him ridiculously long to realize he was making an idiot out of himself over some bad dream, before he lay back down and closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep again. Shutting off the light didn’t even occur to him.

When he woke, he felt as if he hadn’t slept at all. He was sluggish, in a way he wasn’t used to without drinking the night away first. It was a battle to even get out of bed, let alone carry himself to work where his boss was in an especially foul mood today.

And still, he couldn’t quite shake the feeling of being watched.

* * *

As ashamed as Sebastian was for some of his actions during his first year at Dalton, he didn’t actually spend a lot of time wallowing in his mistakes. He certainly didn’t have recurring nightmares.

Over the next few weeks, they became more frequent. Eventually, he saw Blaine every night, lying on the ground, the red a stark contrast to his skin, his screams echoing in Sebastian’s ears long after he woke.

It started having an effect on his work. Several of his coworkers had asked if he was okay, noticing the ever-growing shadows under his eyes. He was getting distracted. He hadn’t slept through the night in days, and he was starting to make mistakes.

Being yelled at by his boss was even worse when he was sleep deprived. In the end, it was suggested he took the rest of the week off, and once he returned, they’d have a conversation about his future at the company.

When he came home, Sebastian drank so much that he fell asleep on the couch, for once confident he’d sleep through the night. Given his family history, he was surprised he hadn’t thought of this solution first.

When he woke, it was dark outside. Only the floor lamp was still on, casting the living room in a cold light.

He was not alone.

At the end of the couch, there was a figure. Clad in a leather jacket, dark hair forced down with too much gel, his face firmly turned away from Sebastian. But it was impossible to mistake his identity.

“Blaine?”

He didn’t turn around, but there was just the hint of a chuckle. “Hello, Sebastian. Surprised to see me?”

“A bit,” Sebastian admitted. Blaine shouldn’t be here, although a part of him wasn’t surprised to see him – as if his continued dreams had summoned him somehow. Still, his heart was pounding as if he’d run a marathon. His palms were sweaty, and he thought he was shaking.

Blaine still wasn’t looking at him.

“I saw you,” Sebastian said. “I mean… I dreamt of it. The slushie incident.”

“Slushie incident,” Blaine muttered. “Is that what you call it? Sounds like fun…”

“No,” Sebastian said, “I don’t mean…” He stopped, shaking his head. “Why are you here?”

Another chuckle. “I’m not here, Sebastian. I’m not anywhere.”

Sebastian frowned, even as every instinct in his body told him to run. Only then he realized that he couldn’t move at all. Panic rose inside him, threatening to choke him.

Finally, Blaine turned towards him, and Sebastian felt sick.

Empty eye sockets stared at him out of a face too pale, too waxen to be real. And from the hollowness, something red seemed to trickle down, slowly. Blood, was his first thought. Or the red-stained slushie. Blaine’s mouth was slightly open. Over his throat, there was a deep scar.

“You blinded me, Sebastian.”

He hadn’t. Blaine had needed surgery, but only on one eye, and he’d been fine. He’d seen Blaine afterwards, when they talked after Dave Karofsky’s suicide attempt, and even after that. Blaine had been on the stage, won Regionals and later Nationals. He’d gotten engaged to what might be the least deserving person, gone to New York and been happy, or something like it.

“Is that what you’re telling yourself?” Blaine asked. His lips drew into a grin, wide, inhuman. “I assume it’s easier to sleep at night with that story.”

“It’s not a story,” Sebastian said.

“Then let me tell _you_ a story,” Blaine replied. His voice was cold, in a way it never had been in the past, not even when he’d been angry at him. “You blinded me. I lost my eyesight because of you. I could not cope. I’m the one who hung himself. And I was successful. There was no happily ever after, Sebastian. It all ended back then. I don’t know what you’ve been telling yourself so you can continue your miserable existence. But it’s time to wake up.” Slowly, he brought his legs up, crawled up to him in a way that should be sensual. But with the empty eye sockets, the angry red scar on his throat, and the liquid still dripping from his face, it was bizarre, inhumane. Sebastian wanted to push back, to scream, to stop it, but still, there was no strength within him, as Blaine crawled forwards, until their faces were only an inch apart from each other. He could feel the drip of red falling from Blaine’s face onto his chin. Pure ice.

“You killed me, Sebastian. It’s time you pay for what you’ve done.”

He screamed, and suddenly, his limbs worked again. He was flailing, panicked, and above him, Blaine was laughing, loudly, until it sounded like screams, and-

With a thud, Sebastian fell to the floor, and now he was the one screaming. He stopped, looked around…

He was alone.

Slowly, he took in his surroundings again. Everything seemed fine. He was on his living room floor, nobody was here… it must have been another nightmare. One of those dreams when you already thought you’d woken up.

Deep down, he knew it was more. It had to be more. He thought back to the words Blaine had said. It didn’t make sense. He knew that Blaine had survived. He… he knew that. It was just a nightmare. Blaine couldn’t possibly… But they weren’t talking. He didn’t even know when he heard something from Blaine the last time. Could it be true? Was it at all possible?

He looked around, eventually grabbing his phone. He went through his contacts, found Blaine’s number. Before he even knew what he was doing, he’d called it. An automated voice asked him to leave a message.

Sebastian shuddered, but tried to calm down. Of course Blaine wouldn’t answer. It was… 3 am, middle of the night. This was fine. Nothing suspicious here. And still, he found himself talking. He didn’t even know what he was saying, except the message. _Call me, please, I need to know you’re alive, just call me, I’m sorry…_

He ended the call, and for a moment, he allowed himself to breathe deeply. It would be fine, he told himself. In the morning, he’d go into it, figure out what really happened. For now, it was just a weird dream. Blaine was fine, he had to be.

This was getting too much.

He got to his feet – no problem there, not a hint of weakness left – and went into the bathroom. A bit of cold water to the face, and to drink, would certainly make him feel better. But as he stood in front of the mirror, he froze again.

On his shirt, there were several red stains, as if something had dripped down on them. Dread rising in his throat anew, Sebastian raised the fabric to his nose and smelled. He was hit with a faint smell of cheap cherry flavoring.

He almost ripped the shirt off his body and threw it into a corner.

He wasn’t sure how he was going to find any sleep tonight.

* * *

Morning light filtered through the curtains. Somehow, Sebastian had ended up in his bedroom, lying under the covers. It was too warm. He felt sweat all over his skin. There was a pounding in his head, too strong. He tried to turn his head, but sharp pain shot through his neck. Confused, he lay back down. It didn’t feel like a hangover… He tried to remember what had happened.

Being suspended… drinking…

_Blaine_

“Careful.”

Sebastian jerked upwards, another shot of pain running through his head and neck. But no mistake, it was definitely Blaine’s voice.

“Easy.” Movement, and then, there he was. Blaine was leaning over him, and Sebastian felt his heart stopped.

He looked…

Good.

Blaine was here, smiling at him out of two good eyes, the same gold hazel he remembered from back then. His hair was gelled as he remembered, and he was wearing some too bright green polo. He had barely changed from the last time they’d met.

Sebastian’s eyes darted down to his throat. No scar. Back to his eyes.

Flawless.

“Are you alright?”

Sebastian wanted to nod, but his neck wouldn’t bend. “How are you here?” he asked.

A soft chuckle, that somehow still sent chills down Sebastian’s spine, though not in the good way. “You called me.”

“What?”

“On the phone?” Blaine added. “You called me, and… honestly, you sounded a bit unhinged. I was worried about you. So I came to check on you. You’ve been pretty out of it yesterday.”

“Yesterday?” How could he have lost a whole day? “Wait, you’ve been here since yesterday?”

“Someone has to look after you,” Blaine said with a shrug. “You’re clearly not okay. Honestly, I’m a bit worried about you. You have a fever.”

He shouldn’t be here, but Sebastian was too exhausted to wonder, to fight it.

He closed his eyes as Blaine put a cool washcloth onto his face, dabbing on the sweat that former there. It came as a relief, and Sebastian sighed. Blaine was humming a melody – the Beatles, he noticed, All You Need Is Love, weird choice as it was… And just for a moment, Sebastian felt okay. He was still in pain, his head pounding, and still a bit freaked out about last night – or the night before, maybe – but he felt worlds better having Blaine here. Maybe now at least something good would come out of this weird fever dream.

“Thank you,” he muttered. For listening, for caring enough to come see him, for being alive… He didn’t know. But it didn’t matter. “I probably don’t deserve it…”

A soft chuckled.

“Probably not,” Blaine’s voice said, soft breath fanning over Sebastian’s skin. “Not after you killed me.”

Sebastian’s eyes sprang open, as if an ice knife went right through him. “What?”

Blaine was still there, looking at him… but something had changed. The color from his face was fading even as Sebastian watched him. The color in his eyes seemed to drain, slowly turn into a crimson red, and then… the iris seemed to overflow, red liquid dripping down his cheeks. A dark red scar pressed into his throat as he watched Sebastian.

“You killed me, Sebastian,” the creature said, voice hollow. “And you just walked away from it. But no more. A life for a life, Sebastian. I’ve come to collect my dues.”

He bowed forward, icy liquid dripping down on Sebastian’s chest. He screamed, tried to get away, but he couldn’t move again, and the pain exploded. And that voice, everywhere, as his whole world fell into black.

“You will pay, Sebastian.”

The last thought he could form was that it didn’t even sound like Blaine anymore.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter!  
> Warnings are as the last chapter, and also discussion of severe mental illness, including mention of another non-canon suicide attempt.

* * *

When Sebastian came back to himself, the world around him was so white, he had to close his eyes again. Too bright, too much. It took him another few moments to find his bearings. There was pain in his head, but it had subsided to a low permanent pounding. He wasn’t feeling too warm anymore. He could even move his neck again. So yes, improvement.

Of course, then he remembered the last thing he saw.

Blaine, or that ghastly version of him.

_You killed me._

He shuddered, even as the words echoed in his memory. The strangest thing was that he still couldn’t remember. If it was true… and yes, maybe it was… shouldn’t he remember? Blaine deserved more than to be forgotten…

“Sebastian?”

He opened his eyes again at the sound of another familiar voice. He was met by the concerned face of his sister. He blinked against the light in the room, and looked around for a moment. It looked like a hospital room, bright and modern. Sunlight was shining through large windows. Colette was sitting at his bedside, and she looked awful. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, and there were shadows under her eyes. She looked like she hadn’t slept in days.

“What happened?” he asked.

“You tell me,” she said. “I found you in your apartment, fever of 105, talking something bizarre about a demon you killed who wants revenge?” She shook her head, blinking away tears. “You freaked me the hell out, Sebastian.”

He closed his eyes again. “I’m sorry,” he muttered. It wasn’t supposed to be like that. Colette had always been his collected, cool older sister, who couldn’t be fazed by anything. She looked a lot more like their mother right now.

“It’s meningitis,” she said, now actually calmer after the first outburst. “You’re on antibiotics, the fever is going down already.” There was hesitation, as if she wasn’t quite convinced.

Technically, Sebastian should be relieved. Fever dreams from meningitis… that was a better explanation than just thinking that Blaine could be dead because of him.

“Dad will be here soon,” Colette said. “He’s on a cruise with Evelyn. When he heard, he made arrangements to come back immediately.”

Sebastian snorted. “Bet she loved that…”

“She was crying when she heard about you,” Colette replied just a bit too harsh, “she was just as scared as we were. Don’t blame her for Mom being a mess, or Dad for finding happiness again.”

She’d always been more critical of their mother, although that was probably to be expected. Sebastian just wished she’d save it for another time. The pain in his head was already picking up again.

Maybe she noticed, as she sighed, deflating a bit. “I’ll go tell the nurses you’re awake. The doctor will want to talk to you,” she said. She bowed forward and placed a short kiss on his forehead – a rare show of affection – before she turned to leave the room.

Sebastian sighed, closing his eyes. He tried to tell himself it would be okay. Just fever, hallucinations… The dreams probably meant nothing. No need to worry.

Somewhere in the room, he heard a hummed melody. It took him a moment to place it.

_All you need is love_ …

His eyes shot open. There, leaning against the windowsill, stood Blaine – waxen skin, hollow eyes, a strange grin on his face parallel to the scar on his throat.

Sebastian stared at him, frozen. It couldn’t be. Colette said his fever was going down… he shouldn’t see him anymore… And he hadn’t been there just a moment ago.

The grin on Blaine’s face got wider as he pushed himself away from the windowsill, and walked closer, humming all the time. He was right at the bed when Sebastian found his voice again and screamed.

The humming stopped, only to be replaced by a deep chuckle. Blaine bowed forward, over him, and again, the cold liquid dripped from his eyes onto Sebastian’s face, and-

The door flew open, and in the blink of an eye, Blaine was gone.

“Sebastian!”

Colette was by his side, a hand on his cheek as she looked at him out of wide, green eyes. He could feel her smear the red slush on his face, but she didn’t seem to notice.

“He was here,” Sebastian said, looking around the room. A doctor was rushing to his other side, her hand immediately landing on his wrist to check his pulse. As his eyes darted around, Sebastian couldn’t see a trace of Blaine. No trace of humming, either.

“He was here,” he repeated. “Blaine, he was… I swear he was here, Colette.”

She looked at him, shaking her head in disbelief. “He can’t have been here. Sebastian… are you still seeing things?” And there it was, just the slightest hint of panic in her voice, the implication clear. _Not again. Not you._

The doctor turned to his sister, frowning. “Does your brother have a history of mental illness?”

And just like that, he wasn’t part of the conversation anymore. He closed his eyes as his sister was giving a short review of their family history, tried not to listen to them. But as the shivering started up again, he started to realize something.

It wasn’t the fever. It probably wasn’t mental illness either.

It had to be real.

* * *

There were many more tests to the point that Sebastian couldn’t even keep them straight anymore. Other doctors talked to him, one of them definitely a psychiatrist. He was given new medication, in an attempt to help with his hallucinations.

So far, nothing worked. It was fine as long as someone else was in the room. But the second he was alone, Blaine would show up. He didn’t always attack. Often enough, he was just standing there in a corner, watching him out of hollow eyes, humming that damn song.

Sebastian tried to reason with him. He apologized, begged for forgiveness. But nothing seemed to move him.

_A life for a life. Pay for your sins._

Two days later, he woke to his father sitting at his bedside. Like Colette, he looked older than Sebastian was used to. Disheveled. Desperate. There was a cup of coffee in his hand that was almost empty. It definitely looked cold, just an indicator how long he’d been here already.

“Dad?” Sebastian asked, his voice raspy from sleep. He suddenly felt reminded of a night long ago, his father sitting by his bedside in his childhood bedroom, staring into nothing, his hand cradling a tumbler filed with amber, telling him that his mother wasn’t well and wouldn’t be home for a long time.

Now, his father looked at him, and the exhaustion in his eyes was obvious.

“How do you feel?” he asked.

Sebastian looked away. It was too strange to see his father like this. Helpless. Scared. This was what it had come to, Xavier Smythe wanting to talk about feelings…

“I’m sorry we took so long to get here,” he continued when Sebastian didn’t answer. “I’ve given notice to the office that I’m taking a leave of absence. Evelyn as well, we’ll stay here for as long as it’s necessary.”

“What? Till I die? Till I stop being crazy?” Sebastian asked. “Or till I get committed, like mom?”

He could see the impact of his words immediately, and he would have regretted them if he hadn’t been as exhausted. He half expected his father to leave, forget his wayward son beyond throwing money at the problem.

He hadn’t expected his father to get even more serious.

“I failed your mother,” he said. “There were warning signs, many of them, that I chose to ignore. I buried myself in work, so didn’t have to see her, and her outbursts. And when she stopped taking her medicine… when she went manic and dragged you two on that road trip… I just told myself she was being eccentric. I didn’t know how to handle her, so I pretended there was no problem. Of course, it only escalated until she had that breakdown. And then it was too late.”

Sebastian remembered, even though he’d been protected from the worst. Colette had found her after her suicide attempt, in time to get an ambulance. It had been enough to hold her for a few days, but soon enough she’d convinced everyone she was alright and could be released. It had gotten worse from there. She had refused help, hadn’t even considered going back into treatment. Eventually, Xavier had packed up his children and left. His mother had returned to her parents’ home, and it had taken another few years until she’d finally hit rock bottom and gotten herself admitted to a psychiatric facility.

The last thing he’d heard, she was still there.

A radiant future, but at least that was something Sebastian wouldn’t have to worry about. He had a feeling that thing wouldn’t let him live that long.

“I failed your mother,” Xavier repeated. “I will not fail you.”

Sebastian frowned, turning back to him. “What does that even mean?”

“It means whatever it costs, whatever treatment you need, you’ll get it. I will do everything for you to get better. No matter what. They’ll treat your meningitis, and then they’ll find whatever else is wrong. I don’t care what tests they need, what treatment or medication might help you. I will make sure you’ll get over this. And if it’s bipolar, or some form of psychosis… even schizophrenia, it doesn’t matter. You’re my son. I love you. I will do _everything_.”

There was just a hint of moisture in his eyes, and it scared Sebastian more than anything else in his life. He felt like he had to say something, but all he could do was nod. He couldn’t tell his father that he was wasting his time. He knew all about his mother’s illness. He had read up about schizophrenia, too, while studying. He knew enough to know they were wrong. Maybe they wanted it to be something they could explain easily. But this wasn’t easy.

“We’ll get through this,” his father said.

Sebastian nodded again.

If only he could believe it.

* * *

Another day, another round of tests. No news, but he had gotten used to it. Maybe it wasn’t worth fighting. He could see it in those hollow eye sockets, the red dripping from his eyes. He was getting worse rather than better.

Maybe this was justice.

Right now, all he had to look forward to, were the moments he wasn’t left alone with the monster he created. Fortunately, his family really stepped up. All afternoon, there usually was someone there. His father, Colette, sometimes even Evelyn – and strange enough, his stepmother’s visits were even the most effective at distracting him. He probably hadn’t been fair to her. Too bad this was all the chance they’d get.

Right now, his sister was there, telling him something about the trouble their aunt was in, trying to find good fashion writers. He missed her, ditzy Izzy in her semi-bohemian Manhattan apartment. He wondered if he’d ever see her again.

Just as he had this particularly cheerful thought, there was a knock. A moment later, the door opened, and someone walked inside.

Sebastian froze.

It was Blaine.

Not the one he’d seen, who apart from the scar, and the empty eye sockets dripping red eyes, and, well, looking dead, basically looked unchanged from high school.

This version of Blaine was clearly several years older. The gel was gone, messy curls falling into his forehead. He was wearing jeans and a hoodie, wrinkled as if he had slept in them. There were shadows under his eyes, clearly showing how tired he was. He was worlds from the put-together teen in Sebastian’s memories, thoroughly exhausted, and just maybe more beautiful than ever.

Sebastian couldn’t help but stare at him. He couldn’t be here. Not when Colette was sitting right there. He wasn’t alone. It couldn’t…

But Colette was looking at Blaine, and surprisingly smiled.

“Blaine, right?” she asked as she stood and walked up to him. She greeted him with kisses to his cheek.

Blaine reacted with slight surprise to the gesture but smiled. “Nicolette?”

“Colette is fine,” she said. “Thank you for coming.” She turned, smiling at Sebastian. Her relief was palpable. “You know this young man saved your life, right?”

Sebastian frowned, looking at Blaine in confusion.

“I wouldn’t go so far,” Blaine said. “I just… you left this really intense message on my mailbox, and I was worried. But you didn’t answer when I called you back, so I called your sister to check up on you.”

It had to be a trick of that thing. But Colette was talking to him, calmly, as if nothing was wrong. With a smile, she excused herself – something about coffee. Blaine smiled at her, wide-eyed, carefree, and utterly fake. But Colette seemed to be happy with it.

The second the door closed behind her, the smile fell of Blaine’s face. Immediately, he turned towards Sebastian, sitting down at his bedside. Sebastian felt his throat close up, scared at what would happen next. Blaine was looking straight at him, more serious than he’d ever seen him. But still, no trace of the scar, or the red, or…

“You’re in danger,” Blaine said. “And I’m sorry this is happening to you, because you don’t deserve any of this. Unfortunately, we don’t have much time. I know this is going to sound insane, but your life is at stake here, and I need you to listen. Look around the room. Can you see it?”

“See what?” Sebastian asked.

“That thing you’re seeing when no one is there,” Blaine said. “Is it here now? Can you see it?”

Sebastian frowned, looking around the room. He was so sure that it would be right there when he turned back, taunting him, laughing at him. But when he focused back on Blaine, he hadn’t changed at all.

Sebastian shook his head. “No… I just… see you.”

There was the slightest sag in Blaine’s shoulders. “Good,” he said. “I wasn’t sure…”

“It’s you,” Sebastian said. “What I’m seeing. I see you. And it says… that I killed you. That I drove you to suicide by blinding you.”

Blaine’s face turned into a scowl as he put a hand onto Sebastian’s face. “I’m alive, Sebastian. You didn’t blind me. You pulled a stupid prank, and yes, I got hurt. I had surgery. I was fine. Maybe I’m a bit light sensitive, but that’s all. That thing is lying to you. That’s what it does. It messes with your head, until you forget what even happened, and you drown in the guilt for something you haven’t even done.”

“What’s happening to me?” Sebastian asked.

“You’re not going insane, Sebastian. You’re haunted. And it’s all my fault.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On tumblr as imogenlefay, feel free to come say hi!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we go, final chapter, and as usual longer than I thought it would be.  
> Hope you enjoy!

* * *

There was something rigid in the way Blaine held himself, sitting by Sebastian’s bedside. He’d looked tired before, but from up close it was obvious that it was more than that. He looked utterly exhausted, as if he hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in far too long. But his voice was strong, determined. There was an edge to it that caught Sebastian’s attention more than anything. Or maybe he’d just forgotten how strongly he reacted to everything Blaine did.

“It’s called an erinye, a demon of vengeance. It latches onto guilt. It finds something you regret, and then it turns it into something enormous, something you couldn’t possibly get over. It haunts you. It’s everywhere, whenever you’re alone, and it keeps showing you visions, of things you’d done, of the person you let down. Dead, and bleeding, and… it takes your strength. It drains you. You get a fever, and it burns you out, until there’s nothing left of you. And then it finds someone in your memory who’s done you wrong. And once you’re dead, it moves on to its next victim.”

“Why me?” Sebastian asked. “Why did you say it was your fault?”

“It found you through me,” Blaine said, looking down. “I… you could say, I was lucky. I started seeing it almost a year ago. You see, back when I’d just come out, I took Alec, a friend of mine, to a Sadie Hawkins dance, and we… they beat us up. Some jocks from school. I was in the hospital so long… but I never saw him again. My parents told me he was transferred to a different school, had moved states to stay with his father. A part of me always wondered, if… if they lied.” He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, there was just a shimmer of tears in them. “I never dared to ask,” he continued. “I was too scared of the answer. But then I saw him, in dreams at first. And he told me that they killed him. That he died, and that it was all my fault because I took him to that dance.”

“Wait, why would it be your fault? Why not blame the guys who… you know… _killed him_?” Sebastian asked.

“It’s not rational,” Blaine said. “And I felt guilty, that’s what it comes down to. The longer I saw him, the worse it got. I told Kurt about it, but he thought I was just being stressed out.”

Sebastian glanced at Blaine’s hand. Still no ring, he noticed, as he would have expected after an engagement of several years.

“It got worse. I started seeing him outside my dreams, until he was there every time I was alone. I was feeling sick, was exhausted all the time, got a fever… I was admitted to the hospital, eventually, and told them what I saw. But they said that I was hallucinating, that it was because of the fever. I was so scared… I thought I was going to die. I thought I deserved to die. A life for a life, you know?” He shook his head, as if he was trying to shake off the memory, or maybe the guilt. “Some of our friends visited. Mercedes did. She’s… she’s religious, you know. And we got talking. About redemption. Death. Salvation. She knew a priest, Father Lucas, asked if I wanted to talk to him. And I figured… why not? What harm can it do now? Well… turns out he actually could save me.”

“What, was he like an exorcist?” Sebastian asked.

Blaine chuckled. “Something like that,” he said. “I’m not sure Mercedes knew. But she talked at her church, asking them to pray for me, and he heard it all and offered to talk to me, help me go through this trying time. When he told me that it was a demon, I thought he was insane. But, well, I didn’t exactly have anything to lose, right? And he told me there’s a chance to live. Why wouldn’t I take it?”

Sebastian nodded. “So, how do you get rid of it?”

“It can’t come after you once you’ve seen its true form,” Blaine said. “So, once you force it to reveal itself, you’re safe. But that’s also the only moment it’s vulnerable. From what I understand these things are… minions, of sorts, of the original three Furies. They were defeated or tricked by Athene a long time ago, so her holy symbols repel them. One of her symbols is an owl, and its feathers force them to reveal their true form. It weakens them. And then…” He pulled something from his bag, and it took Sebastian a moment to recognize it as a wooden stake. Blaine held it out, and Sebastian took it.

“Wood from olive trees, from the foot of Olympus,” Blaine explained. “We can stab it with this. Father Lucas brought me both, but he said he couldn’t be there, that I had to do it alone. That it wouldn’t appear if it sensed him… he said it’s because of what he is, but I didn’t really understand what he meant by that. So, the next time I saw it, I forced it to reveal itself. Pushed the owl feathers into its mouth, and watched it transform. It was… terrifying, I won’t lie to you. But when I tried to attack it… I failed. It pushed me away, I fell, and then… it was gone. I never saw it again.”

“So, it escaped,” Sebastian said. “And I guess it found me in your mind?”

Blaine nodded. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I messed it up, Sebastian. I had a chance to stop it. To end it once and for all. But I hesitated. I was too scared, or too weak, and… then it was gone. I was too slow. I tried telling myself that it was alright. That I had barely survived this, and that it wasn’t my responsibility, and that I had a life to get back to.”

“How did that work out?” Sebastian asked.

Blaine finally met his eyes, and it really was all the answer he needed.

“I tried to find out what happened to Alec. He’d died of a fever. It was pretty obvious that the same thing had happened to him. It found me through him… and I knew, it would find someone through me and haunt them. I tried to talk to Father Lucas, but he wasn’t there any more. He’d left, nobody knew where he went. And I… I couldn’t let it go. I tried to talk to Kurt about it, but he wouldn’t believe it. He kept telling me it was just hallucinations, and that I should consider therapy to get over it. I insisted I need to fix it… but I guess mentioning your name wasn’t exactly the best move if I wanted him to listen.

Now, Blaine fully turned, letting his eyes roam over Sebastian’s face. “When you called me, I knew. It’s like I was waiting for it. Of course, it would be you. You did scare me a bit, that’s why I called your sister. The less time you spend alone the better. I packed a bag and took off. I knew I had to fix it.”

His hand came to rest on Sebastian’s, rougher than he remembered, but warm and solid. Real.

Alive.

“I won’t let it take you,” Blaine said.

Sebastian looked at their intertwining fingers, then back at Blaine. Exhausted, just a little bit desperate… haunted. That thing clearly had left scars on him. But stronger than all of that was determination.

Despite everything, Sebastian felt safe with these eyes on him. Just for a moment, he could believe it, that Blaine wouldn’t let anything happen to him.

“We’ll end this tonight,” Blaine said. “We’ll force it to show its face, and then we will destroy it.”

“Okay,” Sebastian said.

Blaine frowned slightly. “You’re… You believe me.”

Sebastian looked at him, confused. “What, are you about to tell me this is all a very elaborate prank?”

“Of course not,” Blaine said, “I wouldn’t… It’s just that…” He closed his eyes. “I know how this all sounds,” he said, “and I honestly half thought you would tell me I’m crazy and to get lost. But you… you believe me.”

“Why the hell wouldn’t I believe you?” Sebastian asked. “You’re an awful liar, and why would you? Besides… I’ve been seeing that thing, I know that it’s real, even if I didn’t have a name for it.”

Blaine smiled, and again he was blinking away moisture. He raised a hand to touch Sebastian’s cheek.

“Just… why are you so sure I can do it, when you couldn’t?” Sebastian asked.

The corners of Blaine’s mouth twitched up in what looked more like a smirk than a smile. In a fluid motion, he took out another stake out of the bag.

“You won’t be alone,” he said. “Don’t be afraid, Sebastian. We will end this. Together. Tonight.”

Sebastian couldn’t tell if that was a promise to him, or to Blaine himself. It didn’t matter either way.

“Tonight,” he said.

* * *

The nurse checked on him one last time, even joking a bit with him as if she tried to alleviate the tense mood he was in, but eventually she gave up and left the room. Sebastian closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. The soft material of the feathers tickled his left hand, while the right closed around the stake.

He was sure it would be there when he opened his eyes. The erinye. He would not look until he felt ready.

Another deep breath. He conjured up the memory of Blaine’s face in his mind. The exhaustion, the determination…

Okay. Showtime.

The room wasn’t completely dark, a night light near the door giving enough illumination for him to see the figure standing near the window, humming. The unearthly panic had disappeared, but Sebastian would have to lie if he said he wasn’t still scared. He knew what it was now, but it could still kill him.

After what felt like an eternity, the creature turned away from the window and looked over to him. A wide grin appeared on its face, and slowly, it walked closer.

“A beautiful night,” it said. “Stars over stars, and a full moon. I used to like that, looking up at the night sky. Now, it’s just another thing that you took from me.”

The thing kneeled down on his bed, leaning over Sebastian so close that he should have felt its breath. But there was nothing.

“And think of what I will take from you,” the creature said.

At this, Sebastian looked up at the thing, meeting its eyes directly, closing his hand around the feathers.

“Take this.”

The thing frowned, maybe surprised at his lack of panic, and he shoved the feathers right into its face, and into its half open mouth.

Nothing happened for a second, the thing stared at him out of empty eye sockets, and then its skin seemed to melt off. A noise began, low at first, more a hum than anything else, but it got higher, louder, until it was a screech in Sebastian’s ears. Under the melted skin, he could see scales, grey and gleaming, like a reptile. The eyes reappeared, a pale yellow with slit-like pupils. Its form was still humanoid, but it looked more like a lizard, its hands ending in claws. Its screeches rang in his ears, and Sebastian wished it would all disappear, but the weight of the stake in his hand reminded him that this wasn’t over. He grasped it, raised his hand, rushed forward…

Insanely fast, the thing grasped his wrist, and started crushing it. Sebastian gasped, tried not to scream, but he couldn’t keep the grasp around the stake, as the thing’s other hand – claw, really – went for his throat, and-

And then, the pressure on his wrist disappeared, as the thing was pulled away from him. Blaine, furious, and gorgeous, dragged it away, onto the floor, and raised his own stake to end things. Sebastian stared, trying to catch his breath, the headache back in full force. He could only watch as a claw shot out, throwing Blaine away and to the ground. It was above him a second later, but Blaine pushed back, fought it. Sebastian got out of bed, clutching the stake in his hand. He had to help, do something. But as he watched, the thing changed its form, became humanoid again. He could see Blaine’s stake fall to the floor, he was unarmed – and then he realized what the thing was doing.

They pushed at each other, and a second later, they both sat on the floor, a few feet between them, glaring at each other, and then, they looked at Sebastian.

Two Blaines, completely identical, and for the life of him, he didn’t know which one was real.

His eyes darted between the two of them, trying to figure it out, to see any difference, but there was none.

“Destroy it,” the right one said, his voice breathless.

“No!” the one on the left called. “It wants you to throw away your shot. It’s me, Sebastian.”

“Stop,” he whispered. He couldn’t tell… oh god, he couldn’t tell.

“Sebastian… I forgave you years ago,” one said, the one on the right.

Sebastian looked at him, and he knew, he couldn’t really believe anything, but…

And then, from the other side…

“I love you.”

Sebastian turned around, his mouth half open as he stared at the version of Blaine, tears just so spilling over his eyes. Softly, he nodded – and rushed towards it, stake first. There was a scream, and then the wood plunged into a chest. For a second, an insanely long second, Sebastian feared he’d gotten it wrong. Then the skin started to melt off its face, the scales reappearing, and with an impossibly high shriek, it dissolved into dust.

A hand touched his arm and he flinched away. Blaine was standing beside him, a look of awe in his face that Sebastian was sure he didn’t deserve. Then, Blaine had thrown his arms around him, pulled him into an embrace.

It was over.

There was noise on the hallway outside, and Blaine rushed away, into the wardrobe he’d been hiding in before, and Sebastian could just throw away the stake before the door was thrown open. The nurse stormed in, immediately switching on the lights, making Sebastian blink against the sudden brightness.

They looked at each other, and he could see concern and fear warring in her face.

“Is everything alright?” she asked. “There were noises.”

“Yeah,” Sebastian said. “I… sorry. I thought… I saw that thing again. But it’s gone now. Maybe it was just a nightmare.”

She looked at him skeptically, as if she didn’t quite believe him, but then she smiled. Slowly, she approached him, as if he was some wild animal.

“Maybe you should try and go back to sleep,” she said.

“Yeah, probably,” he said. He walked back to the bed and lay down without protest. He could see that she was relieved about that at least. “Sorry for spooking you,” he said.

“Don’t worry about it,” she said. “Just… ring if you need anything?”

“Thanks.”

She watched him for another moment, but then she smiled, wished him a good night and left.

Sebastian closed his eyes and waited. It took so long that he started to doubt his sanity, but then, finally, he could hear the wardrobe doors open. A moment later, he felt the side of his bed dip. He opened his eyes, to find Blaine sitting there.

“You did it,” he said, his voice soft and in awe. “You destroyed it.”

“Is it over?” Sebastian asked.

Blaine closed his eyes, breathed deeply. “I think it is,” he said. “I’m so glad you figured it out. I really was worried there for a moment, that you wouldn’t get the code, but…” He chuckled. “I should have known. You’ve always been so clever…”

Sebastian blinked. “What code?”

Blaine shrugged. “Well, not code exactly. But I figured… I had to tell you something so you would know I wasn’t the thing. They’re creatures of vengeance, and guilt. They couldn’t speak of forgiveness, not genuinely.”

Sebastian stared at him, not sure how he could put into words what he was thinking.

“Hey, no,” Blaine said, again taking his hand. “It’s the truth. I _have_ forgiven you. It wasn’t just a clue, I meant it.”

Sebastian shook his head. “That’s not… I didn’t understand it. That’s not how I knew.”

Blaine frowned. “But… how?”

“I know you don’t love me,” Sebastian said, “but that it would know it’s what I wanted to hear.”

“ _Sebastian_ …”

Blaine looked as if his heart was breaking right there.

“It’s okay,” Sebastian said. “You saved me. That’s kind of bigger, don’t you think?”

Blaine still gave him that look, pain, and regret, and something else, something warm, and something that looked like… gratitude. The last thing Sebastian remembered was closing his eyes, and just as he was drifting to sleep a soft kiss pressed to his forehead, his cheek, and eventually, his lips.

When he woke the next morning, it was without pain, without a fever – and Blaine was gone.

* * *

Somehow, life went on. Things changed, of course. At some point during his hospital stay, Sebastian had been fired. It felt a bit unfair, but on the other hand he had hated his job anyway. He couldn’t keep his apartment without a job, but he wasn’t to sad not to see the place again – too many memories of that thing in there.

He was lucky, really. His sister took him in without question. He hadn’t told her what really happened, all she knew was that he almost died of meningitis. The relief Colette and their father had shown when the hallucinations had faded into nothing was palpable. Nobody could really explain what had happened, so in the end all the hallucinations were attributed to meningitis. Really, though, Sebastian didn’t care for any explanations.

It was over, that was enough. He could stay with his sister and slowly put his life back together.

But Blaine wasn’t in it.

Sometimes, Sebastian wasn’t even sure if Blaine had been real. He considered calling him up again, but he couldn’t bring himself to actually try. Maybe there was an answer waiting that he wasn’t ready for.

He felt like drifting.

Sebastian knew, for now he was in a secure position. What he didn’t know was how to go back to a normal life. How could he pretend to forget about the demons out there? How could he go back to a mundane life when monsters were real, haunting and killing people?

He started to understand the shadows under Blaine’s eyes, how utterly exhausted he’d been. Now, he was pretty sure if he told his sister everything, she’d at least indulge him. But she wouldn’t believe. Most likely, she would suggest another consult, paranoid they might have missed something, and he needed treatment.

It wasn’t really fulfilling, trying to find out how to even live a normal life. He tried to keep himself busy, but really, it felt more like he was waiting for something. Or someone.

When the doorbell rang, he was alone in the apartment. It wasn’t like he knew, but he had a feeling. He took just a second to calm down, before he walked up to the door. He wasn’t surprised to see Blaine on the other side.

He was still wearing sensible clothes, and a duffel bag slung over his shoulder. His hair was still wild, but the weight on his shoulders had disappeared.

“ _Sebastian._ ”

They looked at each other for a second, in the next they stood in an embrace.

“You look good,” Blaine said eventually, as he stepped back.

“Liar,” Sebastian said, chuckling. “I feel like crap.”

“But better,” Blaine said. He smiled, and for once it looked… liberated. “I’m sorry I left right after the fight. It’s just… this thing, it’s been haunting me for so long, I needed to think for a moment.”

“I get that,” Sebastian said. “I’m still trying to figure things out…”

Blaine nodded. “It’s kind of hard to let go of this,” he said. “And believe me, I’ve tried… but I’m tired of it, of pretending it didn’t happen. So, I went back to New York. I thought… maybe if I talk to Kurt one more time, I could fix things.” He chuckled. “Let’s say I didn’t exactly get a warm welcome. I mean, I did just take off without a warning. To see you, of all people. The truth is, Kurt and I were already in a rough place when the haunting started. And afterwards… he tried, he really did, but it felt like he’d been just so scared that I might have died. I tried to explain it to him, but he absolutely refused to believe there could be something more out there. I thought I should try again. Tell him the truth, make him see. But then I realized, it was pointless. He wouldn’t believe me, and I would be upset, and I… I just couldn’t live like that. Or maybe he would have believed me, and then his life would be derailed, too. So really, who wins?” He shook his head, sighing. “I can’t go back to that life, I finally realized that.”

Sebastian watched him, then smiled. “I think I have an idea,” he said.

“You do,” Blaine agreed quickly, “you might be the only one who does. The one who understands.” He hesitated for a moment, and then he looked up. The same determination was still there, maybe even stronger than before.

“I want to know what’s out there, Sebastian. There are demons, and monsters, and there are people who hunt them. I want to know everything, and I want to make a difference. It’s the only thing that feels like it could bring me some sort of peace.” He smiled, taking another pause, before he continued. “And I want you to come with me.”

Sebastian frowned, tilting his head as he took in this new version of Blaine… matured, more serious, but once more with this fire burning inside him.

“Is that what you want to do with your life? Saving people… hunting things?”

Blaine chuckled. “You have to admit… that sounds kinda badass.”

Sebastian laughed, shaking his head. “It’s insane,” he said.

“I know,” Blaine replied, looking up at him. “So… are you in?”

Sebastian allowed himself to think about it for a moment. Such an innocent question, and still, it carried so much weight. Blaine was asking for a lot, and he had to know it. His life, really. But then again… what kind of life was it?

In a way, he understood. Blaine had carried this around so much longer, drowning in guilt, first at what the creature made him believe, and then over failing to end it, and all the consequences it would bring. It had left deeper scars in him. Sebastian thought he himself might recover from this eventually and return to a life.

But what kind of life would that be? Would it ever feel real? Or remain hollow, or empty? He knew he had his family, and he knew he could build something. A new life. A better one maybe. But it wouldn’t have Blaine.

Blaine, who had come through to save him. Blaine, who was drowning in guilt and still had the strength to fight. Blaine, the only thing in his life that felt real. Blaine, who may not love him, but clearly felt something for him, and who wanted him by his side, in this new life he wanted the both of them to build, doing the right thing.

Really, the choice was not hard.

“Alright, killer. Let’s do this.”

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's how I accidentally wrote a Glee/Supernatural Crossover, because of course I did.
> 
> On tumblr as imogenlefay, come to say hi and check on my current writing status

**Author's Note:**

> on tumblr as imogenlefay


End file.
